A 10 step guide to de-cluttering your home (and life)

Clutter has a nasty habit of creeping up on us. One day it’s only a magazine and a takeaway menu on the countertop, and suddenly it’s a horde of wrappers, stickers, unopened envelopes, the neighbours’ kittens, and goodness knows what else that are taking up valuable space inside your home.

No wonder we sometimes feel so discouraged looking at our interiors – they’re being overthrown by messy piles all the time.

If you’re unsure about throwing something out, ask yourself these questions: Do I love it? Do I need it? Do I use it? Easy peasy!

Let’s talk downsizing and de-cluttering, helping you achieve more and more space every time you get rid of something.

1. Be honest with yourself

When you walk into your home, what feelings greet you? Is it peacefulness? Chaos? Have you stopped throwing dinner parties or hosting get-togethers simply because you’re embarrassed by the clutter in your house? Are you struggling to find what you’re looking for, and then end up discovering you already own three copies of the same thing?

4. Make a habit out of it

A mere 15 minutes a day is what you must start off with, which is manageable most of the time. Tackle one drawer in your study desk. Go through your handbag. Get rid of expired foods and spices in your pantry. Sort through those extra towels and linen. Be honest about those heaps of books and magazines lying all over the house.

Put all the stuff you are donating in black bags so that you can’t see it, lessening the chances of you being tempted to pull something back out again.

5. Expect some emotions

We always say “it’s only stuff”, but the truth is that many of our possessions represent memories and the people in our lives who gave them to us. That is why throwing out stuff, whether to downsize or de-clutter, can be a tad emotional at times.

Don’t let this discourage you from the bigger task at hand, and acknowledge the fact that you don’t need to keep the elements to keep the memories

7. Don’t go on a guilt trip

Many of us hold on to stuff because it belonged to a family member, not because it’s our style. That is no reason to fill your life with clutter. Give yourself permission to donate or give something away.

Accept the fact that what matters to you changes at different stages in your life. Sometimes stuff just becomes stuff.

9. Keep the memory, toss the item

Don’t want to part with those drawings your child did in kindergarten? How about you make a photo book containing all his early-years art, which will take up far less space than the papers themselves? Or snap a picture of that drawing and let it go.

The same goes with collectibles – keep one or two, not all 30.

Remember: out of sight, out of mind.

10. Don’t get carried away by sentimental value

If you deem every single thing as important, then nothing will be special. For instance, if you have a bunch of items that once belonged to other family members, select a few unique ones to hold on to, and donate the rest.

Remember that your heart can’t be too cluttered, but your house most definitely can be.